Frack Free Sussex to welcome climate change protesters to Balcombe

Members of Frack Free Sussex will be among those who will be welcoming 120 riders on an epic journey from from London to international climate talks in Paris on Sunday.

The Frack Free Sussex group will be at Lower Stumble Woods, London Road, Balcombe - site of energy firm Cuadrilla’s exploratory oil well - when they greet the intrepid riders at 1pm on Sunday.

Welcoming the Bike Train to Balcombe is aimed at highlighting the many villages and towns in Sussex that do not want to see unconventional oil and gas exploration anywhere in the UK.

West Sussex County Council agreed to Cuadrilla’s application to return for further testing at their site in Balcombe back in April 2014.

Atlanta Cook of Frack Free Sussex said the group wanted to “send a clear message to our leaders who have our future in their hands: leave the gas, coal and oil in the soil. We do not want fracking here, or anywhere.

“This issue goes beyond Balcombe. The government seems to believe that oil and gas should be extracted from more and more difficult places, using more complex and expensive methods. But these are dirty fossil fuels which we know we should not be burning. The only ones to benefit will be the oil and gas companies pushing this. Local people don’t want it. The risks to their agricultural soil and drinking water sources are too high.”